Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1999)
Whiteclay woes continue ByDaneStickney Staff writer In Lincoln’s Indian Center, a pink sign hangs next to the recep tionist’s desk. It reads: “Alcohol kills! Choose tradition, not addiction.” The sign acts as a reminder of the ongoing problems at Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota, where a debate about alcohol sales in nearby Whiteclay, Neb., has sparked hostility between the town and the reservation. Pine Ridge is officially a dry reservation, but tribal members cross the South Dakota-Nebraska border to buy alcohol in Whiteclay, a town of about 22 people. Because oi violence and alcohol problems on the reserva tion, Pine Ridge officials and American Indian supporters held protests to try to close Whiteclay’s liquor stores this summer. The protesters’ goal has yet to be realized. Gloria Patton, program direc tor at Indian Center Inc., said the problems have affected all American Indians in Nebraska. “The disagreement over alco hol sales and racism has been an ongoing struggle,” she said. “The state hasn’t done much to help the situation, so it has an effect on the entire Indian community.” Patton said the Indian Center has an office in western Nebraska that provides support to the Pine Ridge reservation. The University of Nebraska Lincoln Inter-Tribal Exchange, a student organization, has also been affected by the tensions at «— I really hope some good can come out of this, but it is going to take a lot of work and commitment Gloria Patton Indian Center Inc. program director Pine Ridge, outgoing president Daniel Justice said. Although UNITE has not for merly met to discuss the prob lems at Pine Ridge, Justice, a UNL graduate student, said the topic is important to the group. “We haven’t been able to get together to talk about (the prob lems at Pine Ridge),” Justice said. “But it is pretty safe to say we’re in support of our brothers and sisters, and we are hoping for a peaceful resolution.” Justice said the best solution to the problem would be to close the liquor stores and bars and help those with alcohol prob lems. The tribes-people would really benefit from this. The bootleggers are the only ones who wouldn’t, but that’s OK because they have been making lots of money off the suffering of others,” he said. After the summer of protests against alcohol sales, tensions flared again Wednesday when three American Indians were arrested on suspicion of assault ing a white man at Pine Ridge. The victim was in critical condi tion as of Thursday. The Associated Press report ed that relatives of the victim and a suspect said alcohol and an argument caused the incident. An investigation is under way. Patton said she hopes some thing positive can come of the tensions at Pine Ridge, but she said that little can be accom plished without the support of the state. “I really hope some good can come out of this, but it is going to take a lot of work and commit ment,” she said. “The stores are still open as of now and, without help from the state, it looks like they’ll stay open.” Justice said there are many avenues UNITE can take to lend support to the American Indians’ cause in Whiteclay. “We might invite leaders from the community to talk about the situation,” he said. “If there’s anything we can do, we’ll help them.” Justice said American Indians across the region are confident that the Pine Ridge situation can be worked out. “The leaders there are smart,” he said. “They are dedicated to the well-being of the people. There is no doubt that they’re doing what’s right for everybody involved.” Rolling with the times: a new era of registration By Sarah Fox Staff writer Instead of waiting in a line stretch ing from the Canfield Administration Building to Andrews Hall, UNL stu dents have changed their classes this first week of school by gluing their ears to a telephone. Although punching in numbers to access NRoll, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s telephone registra tion system, may seem time-consuming, current UNL students can drop or add classes in minutes, unlike previous UNL registration systems. “If you were interested in getting any of the classes you wanted, you would get up really early and stand in line with a bunch of people,” John Frese, a 1995 UNL graduate, said. “It was a circus.” From 1982 to 1994, students had to stand in line for a time appointment card to change their schedule during the first week of classes. The administration building opened at about 7:30 a.m. “The people who were really moti vated would stand in line at 6:30 (a.m.),” Frese said. “I was never that motivated.” When Frese received his appoint ment card after standing in line, he would go to the Nebraska Union and fill out a bubble sheet for the courses he wanted to add or drop. A computer would assign him to an open section. He kept filling out bubble sheets until he got the classes he needed. “You could get in and out of there in about one or two hours,” he said. “But it could sometimes take half a day or more if you had really bad luck.” Frese said he always got into the classes he needed using the bubble cards. Before Frese came to UNL, students used IBM punch cards. From the early 1960s to 1982, students would put punch-patterned cards into a machine programmed to read the cards, said Bob Reid, associate director of Registration and Records. The old registration systems did help students graduate on time because students were more likely to seek advice on classes, English Professor Gerry Brookes said. Brookes scheduled English classes for 11 years as vice chairman of the English department. Students can now decide to drop an 8:30 a.m. class using NRoll if they are in bed at 8 a.m. and don’t want to go to class. They also are more likely to ask friends what classes to take instead of asking their advisers. wuici cunegcs using leiepnone reg istration have had similar results, Brookes said. UNL also updated registrafion in 1996 by putting the schedule of about 7,000 class sections on the UNL’s Web site, said Earl Hawkey, director of Registration and Records. The universi ty also plans to develop online registra tion. “We haven’t really set up a schedule, but we are planning on working on it this year,” Hawkey said. Registration has progressed from hole-punched cards, to bubble sheets, to telephones and, in the future, to the Web, but most current UNL students have known only NRoll. “Unfortunately, most of the students who used the old system aren’t here to appreciate (NRoll),” Hawkey said. However, Frese, who used NRoll his last year of college, said he had won dered where the bubble sheets were. “I kind of missed the old system at first,” he said. Weekend Sale on ^UoMMlliOK' Athletic Clothing Save 50% on Selected HUSKER Sweats! example: HUSKER Crew Sweat Shirts Reg.Price 19.95 Weekend Sale $9.95 , ' \ IDORM ROOM CARPET 6’ X 9’ . Reg. Price $39.95 WEEKEND SALE $29.95 SAVE $10.00 Store Hours Monday. 9:00 to 6:00 Tuesday.9:00 to 6:00 Wednesday.9:00 to 6:00 Thursday.9:00 to 8:00 Friday.9:00 to 6:00 Saturday. 9:00 to 6:00 Sunday.Noon to 5:00 476-0111 www.nebraskabookstore.com